Gov Digs in as Foes Attack Pharmacy Rule

Chicago Sun-Times ^ | 4/12/05 | Abdon Pallasch and Dave McKinney

[marshmallow]

Both sides are preparing for what may turn into a legal battle over Gov. Blagojevich's order that pharmacists dispense contraceptives, even those that some pharmacists say kill embryos.

The Illinois Pharmacists Association asked Blagojevich to rescind his order. State Rep. Ron Stephens, a Downstate pharmacist, said, "I will not abide by it." The conservative Family PAC is urging pharmacists to ignore the order. And Catholic Bishop Thomas Paprocki implored Blagojevich from the pulpit to rescind the order.

The governor is standing firm.

On Monday, he warned Family PAC Director Paul Caprio the state would impose "significant penalties" on any pharmacy that ignores the order.

"In your call to pharmacists urging them to violate the emergency rule I issued, you neglected to remind them of the penalties their employers will face if they deny a woman her right to health care," Blagojevich wrote Caprio. Those penalties range from fines to losing their licenses, Blagojevich said.

[Oberon]

I'm glad you are not a doctor or a pharmacist (and I trust that you are neither).

See? We're down to insults already. No point in continuing, although you have provided an interesting argument in favor of the morning-after pill.

See you 'round.

[cyborg]

Here's a good idea. Open up a pro-life pharmacy. A pharmacist doesn't havae the right to dictate why a person is taking certain drugs. He/she isn't the patient's doctor and it's none of their damned business.

[Dataman]

You are a pharmacist, not the local preacher. Your job is to dispense medicines as prescribed by a doctor. Don't like it? Find a new line of work.

What an utterly juvenile response.

[cyborg]

What's so juvenile about it? If the pharmacist wants to be able to determine whether a patient gets her drugs or not, let him go to med school and become a doctor. Otherwise, run a pharmacy and state explicitly that no BC are sold period at all. While he's at it, no viagra either, no condoms, no KY jelly,etc,etc.etc.

[Dataman]

Prescription medications aren't the equivalent of a chicken fried steak.

Who said poisons are prescription medicines? You have an active imagination.

[atlaw]

Fascinating. You throw out the insults, and then take umbrage at my comment? C'mon. Take it in stride. I do.

As for your notion that rape and date rape cases are uniformly (or even occasionally) handled by "run of the mill rescue squads," such cases are not even reported on a predictable basis, to the police or to the physicians from whom morning after contraceptives are sought. There's that all too human psychological problem with shame.

[Modernman]

Prescription medications aren't the equivalent of a chicken fried steak. And I take it you've never been to west Texas.

Some pharmacies don't stock narcotics that are sold as street drugs due to fear of being robbed.

If a pharmacist chooses not to fill a prescription, that's his right. His employer also has the right to fire him for not doing his job.

[flying Elvis]

Here's a good idea. Open up a pro-life pharmacy.

Here's a better idea. Let Planned Parenthood open up pharmacies if they are so anxious to have these pills passed out. The governor is catering to them, by forcing people of conscience to implement Planned Parenthood's agenda. In area's where doctors refuse to do abortions, Planned Parenthood opens abortion clinics, so why can't they open pharmacies? Why should anyone have to surrender their freedom to practice their religion on the whim of a governor especially on matters of conscience. Even the military allows for conscientious objector status. At this point, no one has the right to demand that businesses supply them with what they desire. State affiliated hospitals should abide by such dictates, and as far as I know, most hospitals have in-house pharmacies.

[atlaw]

His employer also has the right to fire him for not doing his job.

True. And rarely mentioned. I wonder whether the chain pharmacies are going to weigh in with a policy decision?

[Oberon]

Fascinating. You throw out the insults, and then take umbrage at my comment? C'mon. Take it in stride. I do.

No, it's not "fascinating"...it's juvenile, on both sides. I'm not going to do this any more. You're not seeing me at my best, and for that I apologize.

Have a good life.

[Dataman]

What's so juvenile about it?

Assuming your question is serious, think about it: What pharmacist has the power to determine whether a patient can get a drug or not?

Truthful answer: Not one. As mentioned in several posts, there are many ways to get the drug you need. Sometimes I think you guys would come to a dead stop if there was road kill in your lane. You wouldn't think to drive around it. You'd just get out of your Pugeots and tantrum about your right to a clear lane.

Your answer?

Of course nobody should ever even think about forcing you to violate your conscience, right? What if the state forced you to read the Koran? No sir! YOU have rights. But those people who disagree with you? Force them, right?

[atlaw]

"You're not seeing me at my best, and for that I apologize."

Me too. I try not to get testy, but long days take their toll.

[Modernman]

True. And rarely mentioned. I wonder whether the chain pharmacies are going to weigh in with a policy decision?

Some allow pharmacists to opt out of filling certain prescriptions, others don't.

I'm not in favor of government fiat here. If a store doesn't want to sell a product of any kind, it isn't up to the government to force them to carry such a product.

[TSgt]

"Sometimes I think you guys would come to a dead stop if there was road kill in your lane. You wouldn't think to drive around it. You'd just get out of your Pugeots and tantrum about your right to a clear lane."

The Freeper Smokers definitely would... ;)

[MortMan]

Ah the Nazi argument. Pure Codswallop.

Nice counter-argument. If a pharmacist refuses to fill a lawful prescription, their employer has the right to fire them. If the pharmacist owns the store, or the owner agrees with the pharmacist's actions, then the customer has the right to go elsewhere.

To blindly require that all pharmacists leave their consciences and/or religious values behind at the door of the pharmacy is wrong, especially using the power of government to enforce it. Characterizing the more extreme Aushwitz example as "codswallop" doesn't eliminate the similarities.

To use a less extreme example, consider the time when doctors are allowed to prescribe fatal doses of certain medications for patients who wish to practice voluntary euthanasia. Should the pharmacist be allowed to opt out of helping the patient kill themselves?

For a more common, current-day example, should pharmacists be allowed to challenge a prescription when their computer records indicates a dangerous interaction with other meds may occur? Isn't that interfering with the doctor-patient relationship?

[elkclan]

Well, there's lots of stuff about the government "forcing" people to dispense drugs they disagree with. However, everyone seems to be forgetting that pharmacists are LICENSED. We wouldn't want just anyone handing out drugs -we want people who are reasonably qualified, understand drug interactions, etc. So when someone becomes a licensed pharmacist that means that they're signing up to certain professional and legal requirements. I hope to goodness that means that pharmacists don't have the right to refuse legal medication or refuse to refer you elsewhere, harangue and lecture you if they think - without any real knowledge - that you're behaving in a sinful way - or refuse to return the script for medication including oral contraceptives - the Pill -(as is happening).

No one forces businesses to stock every drug on the market - Walmart doesn't sell the morning after pill for example and many small pharmacies don't carry narcotics because of the security risk of druggies breaking in and beating/killing their employees. However, pharmacists have a professional duty to behave in a professional way - this is part of the compact with the State and society that they make when they become LICENSED pharmacists.